Jaka Bijol’s situation at Leeds United has been getting lot of coverage in Slovenia ahead of the international break. The 26-year-old was a defensive rock for Udinese and considered something of a leader.
That earned him a move to Elland Road and the Premier League, but he hasn’t had a minute in the competition yet. A card suspension followed him from Italy, which meant he had to miss Leeds United’s first match.
Daniel Farke then settled on a paring that Bijol wasn’t in. Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk are the current duo and there’s little reason to change unless they’re deemed not good enough or get injured.
Slovenia’s manager was asked about the situation last week and whilst he shared his concern, he was very understanding. There’s been no criticism or bitterness sent towards Farke, and now similar comes from the man himself.
The Leeds United player was always going to be asked about his lack minutes this international break, and it’s best to get it out the way early.
“I am sure my opportunity will come at Leeds”
Ekipa quote Bijol as saying: “I am certainly not happy with the current situation. There are always ups and downs. There are always slightly worse situations. You have to get over them as a footballer. I am sure that my opportunity will come at Leeds. I hope as soon as possible. But that certainly makes me much more eager for competitive matches. And I am sure that these two international matches will come in very handy, I will give my best, as always.
“I understand the situation. After all, it’s not like I don’t know why it’s like this. We started the season well, after all, there was no need to make changes in the team. The season is long. Now the results have been a little worse in the recent period and I hope my opportunity will come as soon as possible. But I certainly understood why the situation is like this. And why I didn’t play as much as I would have scored. But it’s a little different for central defenders and goalkeepers than for other players in the field. Because we usually don’t come in for a few minutes to get a feel for the team, the pitch. You either play 90 minutes or you don’t. I’m definitely ready for the opportunity when it comes, sooner or later, and I’m sure I’ll take advantage of it.”
“I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is”
The Slovenian media put it to Bijol that it must be a strange situation for him, having to wait for an injury or loss of form from a teammate.
To that, the defender said: “For now, I’m very happy, because our primary goal is to stay in the league. I want to play in the Premier League, if not this year, then next year. In any case, we have to collect points, so I’m very happy that we started the season as well as we did. There is certainly healthy competition at the club, which I haven’t been used to for a few years. It was something normal for me to play every game for the full 90 minutes.
“Maybe I also wanted it to get me out of my comfort zone, because it’s still the highest level in football. Now I’m here and I’m not surprised that the situation is the way it is. Of course, I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is – let’s move on. I’m definitely not happy about my teammates’ mistakes, because in the long run they are bad for the team and consequently for me as well.”
Slovenia play Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers during this international break. The Leeds United signing will hope to get a good number of minutes to shine.
